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We never quite learned what seed the Wolverines would have had in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, as it was all canceled on the day that Michigan would have participated in the Big Ten Tournament — which was also canceled, but just moments away from tip-off.
In Juwan Howard’s second year as the head coach in Ann Arbor, the team will have something of a different look. Gone are seniors Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske. Gone, too, via transfer are point guard David DeJulius — who went to Cincinnati — and forward Colin Castleton — who went to Florida. At the moment, we don’t yet know whether or not Isaiah Livers will return or continue to stay in the NBA draft — though odds are high that he comes back.
Despite the departures, Michigan has quite a bit to work with. Franz Wagner announced his return for a second-year. Former Columbia point guard Mike Smith is coming in as a grad transfer. Then, there’s the heralded 2020 class, with Zeb Jackson, Jace Howard, Hunter Dickinson and Terrance Williams — any of whom could be first-year contributors.
It might still be a work in progress, but when ESPN’s Joe Lunardi sat down to predict where Michigan would be in a little short of a year from now, he still envisioned it as a plus-program, putting the Wolverines as a six-seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
In said prediction, Michigan would be playing the first-round in Lexington as part of the East bracket housed in Brooklyn. The first-round opponent would be the winner of an 11-seed play-in, either Clemson or Seton Hall. Villanova, who Michigan defeated two seasons ago, but lost to in the national championship game three years ago, is the one-seed.
To get to the Final Four, Michigan would also have to beat 2 Duke, 5 Tennessee, 4 Ohio State and 3 West Virginia.
However, we can certainly envision a scenario where Michigan gets a bit of a higher seed, especially should Smith at the point work well and if Livers returns and stays healthy for an entire season.